Can you weld Aluminum?

First of all remember this...There are no dumb questions because

"you don't know what you don't know"

The answer is Yes....but not all aluminum is weldable.

There are only a few aluminum alloys that are not recommended for welding and the main two are 7075 and 2024.

(7075 and 2024 are part of a number system that designates what different elements are mixed in at the factory to give certain properties)

both 7075 and 2024 aluminum are used extensively in aviation and aerospace and are commonly riveted instead of welded.

Most of the aluminum you see in everyday life is weldable.

But if you are at the airport looking at a jet, most of the aluminum you see is not considered weldable.

6061, 5052, and 3003 aluminum alloys are very common and these are all very weldable.

The most common way to weld aluminum is either by TIG or MIG welding.

TIG stands for Tungsten Inert Gas and is also called Gas Tungsten Arc Welding or GTAW as the proper AWS term.

MIG stands for Metal wire Inert Gas and is also known as Gas Metal Arc Welding as the proper AWS term.

Tig is usually used for thinner aluminum and where more precision is required.

MIG is a bit less precise but is usually much faster.

Check out this video comparing TIG welding Aluminum with MIG

Read the full article on TIG vs MIG welding aluminum here

Can you weld aluminum with a Stick welder?

Yes you can but Stick welding aluminum is usually done as a last resort.

It definitely works but aluminum stick electrodes need to be fresh out of the pack or kept in a rod oven to prevent moisture from getting in the flux.

Can you weld aluminum with a DC  tig welder?

Yes but tig welding aluminum with a dc tig welder requires helium for shielding gas.

Helium has become quite expensive but does allow you to tig weld aluminum on DC current.